


Coffee and Screws

by Yukio



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Raphael & Donatello Pairing Anthology Fire Meet Gasoline, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 18:32:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10645602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yukio/pseuds/Yukio
Summary: Raph has a crush on Donnie, but he doesn't know how to tell him, so he asks Casey for advice.The story won the 3rd place in the category Best Romance in the TMNT Reader's Choice Award 2017 (Mature Ballot).





	Coffee and Screws

**Author's Note:**

> The story was written for Raphael & Donatello Pairing Anthology Fire Meet Gasoline. 
> 
> Big thanks to my adorable betareaders Chercherin and Liu <3

 

“How’d ya do it?” Raph asked. He and Casey were chilling in Casey’s apartment after an extremely successful mission when they managed to prevent some punks from robbing a bank. Each of them was sporting a bottle of beer in their hand and enjoyed the cool well-earned drink.

Casey took a proper swig before he turned to his mutant friend. “Do what?”

 “Get April. Was it your persistence? She’s a fine girl. How come she even gave ya a chance?” Raph rephrased his question.

“She knows what’s good,” Casey said smugly. If he had thought Raph was making fun of him, he would probably have jumped up from the couch, ready to swing a fist, but he could hear true curiosity in Raph’s voice. “Must be my dazzlin’ personality,” he added with a grin.

“Right…” Raph said skeptically, playing with the label on his bottle. “No, Case, I mean it. What’d ya do? Did ya tell her ya liked her or what?”

Casey got serious. He drank from his beer again before he put the bottle on the coffee table in front of him.

“Promise ya won’t laugh.”

“Why should I?”

Casey glanced at Raph nervously. “Alright,” he said and took a deep breath. “I didn’t know what ta do. I wanted ta tell April how I felt about her, but ya know me, I ain’t good with words and I didn’t want ta screw up. So I asked Master Splinter. He told me ta make her breakfast and bring flowers. Lots of flowers.”

Raph nodded and waited for his friend to continue, but when Casey stayed silent, Raph looked at him in pure surprise.

“That’s it? Ya brought her food and flowers?” he asked, still unable to understand that such a simple thing could work.

“Yep.”

“And she got together with ya?”

“That’s what I’m tellin’ ya.”

Raph sipped from his beer, thinking about what Casey said. Food and flowers it is. How about coffee and screws?

*

A knot of copper wires sitting on Donnie’s desk in his lab caught the genius’ attention. He used such wires in one of his projects just the previous day and had no more, but obviously he was visited by a secret Santa who brought him new ones. Donnie studied the wires for a while before he placed them on one of the many shelves. He came back to his desk and turned on his computer.

Suddenly the door of the lab opened. Donnie tore his gaze from the computer screen only briefly to register his red-banded brother walk in.

“Hey, brainiac,” Raph’s gruff voice filled the silence. “Shouldn’t your first steps in the morning lead to the kitchen instead of this den of yours?”

“I just wanted to look up some things before breakfast,” Donnie replied, gazing at the screen again. “Why? Did you want anything?”

“Anythin’ other than haulin’ your genius ass into the kitchen? Nah!” Raph waved his hand right in front of Donnie’s eyes in order to catch his attention. “Here,” he said all of a sudden and put a mug of steaming coffee on the desk.

Donnie blinked in surprise and finally looked at the other turtle. “What’s that for?”

Raph shrugged. “I know ya. Ya ain’t comin’ outta here till the beginnin’ of practice. You’re clumsy without your mornin’ fix.”  

Donnie’s eyes narrowed. “I am not.”

The corners of Raph’s mouth lifted in an amused grin, but he stayed silent. He turned around and walked to the shelves loaded with all the technical stuff Donnie loved collecting.

Donnie watched his brother looking over the components many of which, as he thought, Raph couldn’t even name.

“Now for real, Raph,” he addressed him after a few minutes. “What are you doing here?”

Raph didn’t answer at first. He stopped by the shelf on which the copper wires lay, gazing at them for a while before he finally turned to his purple-banded brother.

“Brought ya the coffee,” he said and motioned to the mug on Donnie’s desk.

“Which I appreciate.” Donnie took the mug and sipped from the hot beverage, but his eyes stayed fixed on the hothead.

“I came to see if ya needed help with whatever you’re doin’ so that ya finished it sooner and have time for breakfast before Leo announces it’s time for practice. Ya know how he likes fussin’ about it and gettin’ on everybody’s nerves.”

Donnie smiled gently, amused by Raph’s statement.

“Did he get on your nerves again?”

“When does he not? Though I haven’t seen him this mornin’ yet.”

Donnie laughed heartily, which brought a smile to Raph’s lips. It was quite a rare thing hearing the sound of the genius’ laughter and Raph was proud that he was the one who made the wonder happen. It felt damn good.

*

The knot of the copper wires wasn’t the last thing Donnie found. As days went by there was a new matrix board he needed to fix the family laptop, an accumulator, a phone display he exchanged for the broken one in Mikey’s shell cell, and screws of various sizes and forms. Donnie hoarded screws, he couldn’t say when he’d need them and with all the stuff he was building, he used a fair amount of them. That was why he never complained about the Secret Santa leaving him such valuable gifts.

It seemed the Santa always knew what he needed; the components he had used were mostly replaced with new ones. Sometimes the component he found on his desk didn’t fit into anything he was working on at the moment, but there was a good chance he’d use it in the future. His Santa knew him well.

“Donnie-boy!” Raph’s voice sounded in the lab just as Donnie was about to set a tiny chip into a small device on his desk. He winced and the chip fell out of the tweezers he was holding. Donnie swallowed a curse and quickly pushed everything under a pile of papers with his notes.

“Yes?” he straightened up in his chair to look at his brother.

Raph grinned and his eyes shone with the light Donnie used to notice quite often lately. He didn’t remember seeing it before, but he definitely knew that it caught his attention for the first time when the components for his many devices started appearing in his lab. It also was when Raph started bringing him coffee, and, what surprised Donnie, it seemed like his red-masked brother always knew the right time to turn up with the deliciously smelling brew.

Just like now.

“Brought ya your favorite pick-me-up,” Raph came up to the table. “Got an impression ya were gonna spend the night workin’ again, ain’t ya?”

A gentle smile appeared on Donnie’s lips as the mug was put right into his hands. “That’s right. I have some things I want to finish. Thanks for the coffee,” he said gratefully and sipped from the hot beverage.

“Anytime,” Raph replied and looked around the lab. “What’re ya workin’ on?” He walked a few paces to the nearest shelves.

“Just a little private project,” Donnie said evasively, explaining no more.

“Uhmmm...”

“Do you need anything?” It was quite common for Raph to spend time in Donnie’s lab, sometimes complaining about Leo or Mikey (or both) and sometimes without any excuses for being there, just talking to Donnie about his projects or asking him about the many components deposited on the shelves. Sometimes he offered help and sometimes he nodded and left the lab to kick some shell with Casey. After that, the Secret Santa would bring Donnie a gift.

“Nah,” Raph waved his hand, inspecting a boxful of screws. Then he turned to Donnie, who watched him carefully over the mug with the delicious brew. Donnie had no doubt that it was Raph who made the beverage, which meant he must have known Donnie’s coffee preferences perfectly.

“Need help?” Raph asked, glancing at the genius. The question wasn’t as rare as one could possibly think. And because the hothead wasn’t as rush as Mikey and understood the technical stuff much better than Leo, Donnie usually accepted the offer.

But not today.

“Thanks, but no. This is something I want to do by myself,” Donnie smiled apologetically.

Raph shrugged, putting the box back on the shelf. “Alright,” he said. “I guess I’ll head out with Casey, then.”

Donnie’s smile widened. “Have fun,” he wished his brother and watched him leave the lab before he turned to his desk, dug the device from under the pile of notes and set to work.

*

It was early morning when Donnie finished his secret project. He had needed a few more refills of coffee during the time, but neither of them tasted as good as the coffee from Raph. Not trying to dwell on that thought, Donnie worked on his project without a break; he needed it to be finished that very day, a special day, a day for which he had big plans.

He smiled and glanced at the clock on the computer screen.

“Three… two… one… one… one…” Hm, Raph was late that day… “One...” He frowned, but then he finally heard the sound he was waiting for. The door of the lab opened, and…

“Hey, genius!”

A broad smile settled on Donnie’s lips. He turned to the door and stood up.

“Good morning, Raph,” he greeted his sibling.

“Coffee? Thought ya’d appreciate it after the busy night.”

“It’s most welcome,” Donnie sighed happily as he took the mug from Raph’s hands and sipped from it with delight. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” Raph grinned. “Have ya finished your project?”

“Yes, I’ll show you.” Donnie exchanged the mug for the device lying on his desk. “Your hand,” he ordered Raph, turning back to him.

Raph raised his hand, watching his brother curiously.

“What’s that? A watch?” he asked as Donnie fastened the device around his wrist with a leather band.

“Not completely. I engineered this thing for you to monitor your body functions while you’re working out. It shows your temperature, pulse, blood pressure, the estimated muscle gain and the levels of burned calories, as well as the percentage of vitamins and minerals according to the energy expenditure.”

Raph blinked and looked at the device in amazement. “Wow…”

“I’ll show you how it works.” Donnie pushed the tiny buttons on the side of the so-called watch, explaining the numbers that showed up on the display.

“Donnie, it’s awesome, thanks.”

“So you like it?” Donnie asked, sounding kind of uncertain.

“Absolutely,” Raph assured him. “But… why? If it’s for the coffee…”

“Raph, do you know what day it is?” Donnie asked softly, a dark shade of a blush coloring his cheeks.

Raph’s puzzlement was obvious. “What day…?”

Donnie smiled at him shyly. “It’s Valentine’s…”

“Valen-… Oh!” Raph’s eyes widened as he stared at his purple-banded brother. He pointed at himself, then at Donnie.

Donnie’s smile widened and he nodded.

The attack was sudden, and although Donnie knew Raph’s fiery nature, he didn’t anticipate his lips being crushed by the other turtle’s mouth so violently. The kiss was hungry and fierce and despite the primary surprise Donnie was working excitedly on deepening it.

It took them a few moments until their mouths separated. Trying to catch their breath, they stared into each other’s eyes, grinning stupidly.

“I used the tiny screws you'd brought me in the gift,” Donnie spoke after a couple of intakes.

Raph wiggled his brow ridge. “Ya knew?”

Donnie laughed. “It wasn’t so hard to figure it out. You scrutinized the lab, looked through the stuff, and then went out on a secret mission with Casey after which I always found a gift.”

Raph’s grin widened. “I asked Casey what he’d done ta get April. He said flowers and breakfast had done the trick. I know ya ain’t the type who’d be impressed by such girly stuff…”

“So you came up with your own version?” Donnie chuckled.

“Did it work?” The tip of Raph’s tongue flickered through the gap between his lips, capturing the other turtle’s attention.

“Definitely. Never stop,” Donnie breathed out, uniting with Raph in a heated kiss once again.

 

Thanks for reading! Come to visit me on [tumblr](https://yukiothecollielover.tumblr.com/)


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